"Six months after the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution was all but lost. A powerful British force had routed the Americans at New York, occupied three colonies, and advanced within sight of Philadelphia. Yet George Washington, and many other Americans, refused to let the Revolution die. On Christmas night, as a howling nor'easter struck the Delaware Valley, he led his men across the river and attacked the exhausted Hessian garrison at Trenton, killing or capturing nearly a thousand men. A second battle of Trenton followed within days. The Americans held off a counterattack by Lord Cornwallis's best troops, then were almost trapped by the British force. Under cover of night, Washington's men stole behind the enemy and struck them again, defeating a brigade at Princeton. The British were badly shaken. In twelve weeks of winter fighting, their army suffered severe damage, their hold on New Jersey was broken, and their strategy was ruined. Fischer's richly textured narrative reveals the crucial role of contingency in these events. We see how the campaign unfolded in a sequence of difficult choices by many, from generals to civilians, on both sides. While British and German forces remained rigid and hierarchical, Americans evolved an open and flexible system that was fundamental to their success. The startling success of Washington and his compatriots not only saved the faltering American Revolution, but helped to give it new meaning."--Publisher's description.Ler mais...

Three armies in America:--
The rebels --
The regulars --
The Hessians --
A cataract of disaster:--
Plan of the campaign --
The fall of New York --
The retreat --
The pivot point:--
The crisis --
The occupation --
The opportunity --
The crossing:--
The river --
The march --
The surprise --
Risking it all:--
Hard choices --
Good g round --
The bridge --
The boldest stroke:--
Two councils --
The Battle at Princeton --
The aftermath.

Resumo:

In a dramatic and colorful narrative of a pivotal moment in American history, we see how the campaign developed in a web of hard choices by many actors on both sides of the Delaware. 91 halftones,15 maps.Ler mais...

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Nielsen BookData

...a rapid-fire narrative built around an episode enshrined in American folklore, engaging thumbnail sketches of the major players, a willingness to expose conventional wisdom to the harsh light of archival research. The Journal of American History Fischer...knows the sources inside and out and uses them authoritatively to challenge long-held assumptions about his topic. The Journal of American HistoryLer mais...

Well-written, pro-American historical account

This text of this book is about the crossing of the Delaware and the two battles of Trenton and the battle of Princeton. The subtext, however, is that George Washington was an exemplar of current management fashions. His army was a Learning Organization, where the commander-in-chief listened to his subordinates...Ler mais...

This text of this book is about the crossing of the Delaware and the two battles of Trenton and the battle of Princeton. The subtext, however, is that George Washington was an exemplar of current management fashions. His army was a Learning Organization, where the commander-in-chief listened to his subordinates and kept his strategy flexible. The British, meanwhile, were commanded by a top-down style that was inflexible. And the head of armed forces was absent, enjoying the comforts of New York City.Another theme of the book is that the Hessians were not incompetent drunks, but a well-trained, seasoned force that was fairly beaten. By comparison, the Americans were ragtag. Another theme was that luck plays a large role in critical affairs of men. Everything went wrong with the crossing of the Delaware, and the result was complete victory. Washington was hoping for no skirmishes before the attack, but they had been occurring daily, and had desensitized the Hessian sentries. Washington hoped for a dawn strike, but it didn't happen until hours later. Most of the transports failed to show. He hoped for good weather, and it was the blizzard that hid his forces until their attack. Another theme of the book is that even when the commander of an occupying force means well, the ground troops sometimes behave so poorly that the local populous is motivated to continue the rebellion. The harsh occupation of New Jersey helped fuel the revolution. All in all, well written.